Guide · sleep · 3 min read
A wind-down that starts before you are tired, in the order that helps, when you feel fine and want to stay that way
Waiting until you feel sleepy usually means waiting until midnight. The wind-down is what creates the sleepiness.
Start here
Six things, in the order that makes the most difference. The first two do most of the work.
Feeling fine is a good reason to do this, not a reason to skip it.
If you only do one thing from this page, do the first point below. It is first because it removes the most friction for the least effort.
What helps
Do the boring parts of tomorrow tonight: clothes, bag, lunch, the first item on the list. Unfinished admin is what keeps people awake.
Stop work at a fixed time, not when the work is finished. The work is never finished.
Have a last-thing ritual that is the same every night. Tea, teeth, ten pages. Rituals work because they are boring and repeated.
What to do when it does not work
If your brain starts up as soon as you lie down, keep a notebook by the bed and write the thoughts down. The paper holds them so you do not have to.
Start ninety minutes before you want to be asleep. That is longer than most advice suggests, and it is where the difference is.
Lower the lights in the room you are in. Bright overhead lighting at 10pm tells your body it is still afternoon.
Questions people ask
Does a hot bath help?
Yes, if it is an hour or so before bed. The drop in body temperature afterwards is what makes people sleepy.
What if I am not tired at bedtime?
Do not lie there. Get up and read something dull under a dim light until you are. Bed should not become the place where you try.
Written for people who want the practical version. No accounts, no tracking, no newsletter wall.
If this is not the angle you need, try Waking up anxious for no obvious reason, in the order that helps, when the day has been loud, Using your body to come down after something stressful — what actually helps, when you have been putting it off or The five minutes after a difficult meeting — the essentials, when the weather has kept you inside.